Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932278AbWBBKZV (ORCPT ); Thu, 2 Feb 2006 05:25:21 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932430AbWBBKZV (ORCPT ); Thu, 2 Feb 2006 05:25:21 -0500 Received: from embla.aitel.hist.no ([158.38.50.22]:16821 "HELO embla.aitel.hist.no") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S932278AbWBBKZU (ORCPT ); Thu, 2 Feb 2006 05:25:20 -0500 Message-ID: <43E1DF46.5020803@aitel.hist.no> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 11:30:30 +0100 From: Helge Hafting User-Agent: Debian Thunderbird 1.0.7 (X11/20051017) X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: =?UTF-8?B?RW1pbGlvIEplc8O6cyBHYWxsZWdvIEFyaWFz?= CC: Linus Torvalds , Karim Yaghmour , Filip Brcic , Glauber de Oliveira Costa , Thomas Horsten , linux-kernel Subject: Re: GPL V3 and Linux - Dead Copyright Holders References: <43DE57C4.5010707@opersys.com> <5d6222a80601301143q3b527effq526482837e04ee5a@mail.gmail.com> <200601302301.04582.brcha@users.sourceforge.net> <43E0E282.1000908@opersys.com> <43E1C55A.7090801@drzeus.cx> <87mzha85sc.fsf@babel.ls.fi.upm.es> In-Reply-To: <87mzha85sc.fsf@babel.ls.fi.upm.es> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 2162 Lines: 56 Emilio Jesús Gallego Arias wrote: >Linus Torvalds writes: > > > >>On Thu, 2 Feb 2006, Pierre Ossman wrote: >> >> >>>The point is not only getting access to the source code, but also being able >>>to change it. Being able to freely study the code is only half of the beauty >>>of the GPL. The other half, being able to change it, can be very effectively >>>stopped using DRM. >>> >>> >>No it cannot. >> >> > >1.- Distribute a kernel with some DRM built-in under the GPL. > >2.- Claim that such kernel is an effective technological measure to > protect copyright. > >3.- You are no longer free to modify that kernel, (removing the DRM > module) or you can be sued under the DMCA, for circumventing an > effective technological measure. It doesn't matter in what > hardware are you going to run such kernel. The DMCA implicitly > imposes an additional restriction to the GPL, but as the > restriction is not imposed directly by the copyright owner, but by > the law, it's OK as far the GPL is concerned. > > This can't legally happen. Do the DMCA prevent "circumventing" even when you have the legal right to make copies of the content? (If so, then the music industry breaks DMCA when manufacturing their protected CDs from a protected master . . .) If so, then step (1) is illegal because it breaks with the GPL. Remember, when you distribute something under the GPL, you cannot impose restrictions. It is well established that you can't link in something with a more restrictive commercial licence, for example. I think adding that DRM falls in the same trap - if the DMCA really impose this additional restriction (because DRM-breaking is illegal even when content copying is not) then you are not allowed to add that restriction. Someone distributing DRM-protected kernels are breaking copyrigth law then, if the DMCA is so strict. Helge Hafting - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/